VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING FESTIVAL RAISES SPIRITS AND MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

Thrive Hive Fest 2021 raises over £900 for Mind

With the extended lockdown leading many employees to experience mental health issues and significant extra stress, a mental health and workplace wellbeing specialist has organised an online festival to raise spirits and raise awareness of mental health issues. In the process, it has also raised funds for Mind, the mental health charity.

Organised by Paul Wolstenholme, founder of Pathlight Ltd, Thrive Hive Fest was streamed online on the weekend of 6-7 February, 2021. The event raised £934.96 for the Tameside, Oldham & Glossop branch of Mind, which has been overwhelmed with referrals for mental health support since the pandemic began.  With lockdown restrictions easing this week, the charity cheque was presented on Monday.

The virtual festival featured an eclectic range of thirty established and up-and-coming performers from Greater Manchester and further afield.  All of the bands, solo artists and poets, plus a filmmaker and dance theatre, agreed to support the festival free of charge, with all proceeds going directly to the charity.

Paul notes: “The challenges of working from home, home-schooling, money worries and stricter governmental restrictions have seen record numbers of people feeling the strain of isolation, stress, anxiety and depression. There is help available, though. Mind offers a range of services to support mental health and wellbeing through the pandemic and beyond. That’s why so many people were eager to help with Thrive Hive Fest.

“This festival brought together two of my greatest passions: music and mental health.  The idea came from a conversation in Pathlight Thrive Hive, a Facebook group I set up at the start of the pandemic. It offers free support, connection and inspiration around mental health and holistic wellbeing.  I feel so energised, proud and humbled by the support of all the superb artists and volunteers who kindly gifted their time to this cause. The feedback from festival attendees was fantastic!”

Sid Cooper, frontman of Manchester band LOAstate, said: “I was really excited to be part of Thrive Hive Fest’s fantastic line-up.  Raising awareness and promoting positive mental health is more crucial now than ever. The uplifting, connecting power of music is a great way to do that so I was proud to help to banish the lockdown blues that so many people have been feeling.”

The video recording of the festival has just been uploaded for viewing on the Pathlight Ltd YouTube channel.

A brief summary video is available here.